Not Out Of The Woods Yet
by Poppyfox
Summary: After Loraviel rescues Kili Oakshield from certain death she ends up accompanying 13 dwarves across Middle-earth on a journey to find their burglar. Through her travels she also learns that her past has been a lie and that she is no ordinary human, but is in fact half-elven.
1. Chapter 1

**This is set after Gandalf informs the dwarfs of his plan to use a burglar, but before they meet Bilbo.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Like most mornings, Loraviel awoke to the sound of footsteps around the cave which she called home. The footsteps belonged to a regular orc pack that patrolled the rock face looking for an easy meal or a wanderer lost on the travels to feast upon. This was not uncommon and an unfazed Loraviel waited silently until the noise subsided and the orcs had moved on.

After she deemed it safe enough she stood up stretching out her arms into the air, clicking her back in the process. She grimaced; No matter how long she lived there she knew she would never get used to sleeping rough on the stone floor with just a woollen blanket to protect her from the damp. But unlike the other places she had lived in, none could feel more like home than this.

After pushing her unruly blonde waves from her face, she expertly braiding them until they fell in a neat braid along her spine. She then pulled on her boots and searched through her pack, pulling out a stale lump of bread.

Loraviel sighed "Looks like we're going hunting today…" she said frowning to herself.

Safely securing her sword to her waist, she grabbed her bow and arrow quiver slinging them over her shoulder. Lovariel was a keen swordsman and could easily slay dozens of orcs single-handily if necessary, however her bow skills left much to be desired, which often made snaring a deer or rabbit near impossible. Nevertheless, she climbed through a hidden crack at the side of the cave which led out to the sprawling grasslands below. The crack was just small enough for a human which made it the perfect place to hide from orcs, which could not fit though.

Loraviel scaled the rock face to grass below; it had been days since she last ventured outside. The spring breeze on her face was refreshing, as was the suns warmth. While she loved the outdoors and could easily spend hours swimming in rivers or catching fish, the increasing number of orcs patrolling throughout the day meant she was often confined inside until nightfall.

"Not a rabbit in sight… yet there was hundreds last week" she said confused, scanning the area for signs of life.

In the distance she suddenly heard the faint but obvious sound of laughter, a sound that was so malicious that it made her skin crawl. Pulling her sword from her side she silently crept among the long grass and boulders towards the source of the commotion. Slowly creeping out from behind the side of a large, weather worn boulder trying to remain hidden, she gasped in horror.

A short distance away from her an orc stood towering over the lifeless, blood stained body of a dwarf. Kicking the dwarf repeatedly the orc's laughter grew louder as the body crumpled beneath its feet. Furious by such heartless cruelty Loraviel could barely stop herself from charging straight at it, slicing its filthy head from its shoulders, but she knew better than running blindly into battle. If she had learnt anything from her father than it was to always be ready for anything. She slowly turned looking around her, checking for more signs of danger, but as the orc's laughter grew particularly loud after a bone crushing stamp on the dwarf's chest, she couldn't hold herself back any longer.

Surging forward, Sword drawn a head of her, she ran straight for the orc ramming her blade into its back. The unsuspecting orc leapt forward letting out a blood curdling scream which was choked by the thick black blood spilling from its mouth. Frantically it tried to pull the weapon out, only causing the blood to flow faster making it become increasingly weaker. After a few minutes of stumbling a few uneasy steps forward, it let out one last screech before falling to the ground.

Loraviel cautiously walked over to the orc before pulling her sword swiftly from its victim's back. Drenched in blood she cringed chucking it to the grass. She wasn't squeamish of blood, but orc blood had a smell that could make even the strongest warrior feel nauseous.

"Filthy creature" she said disgusted, giving it a kick.

Abruptly, remembering why she was there, she turned her back on the orc and sprinted to the dwarf's side, placing a hand above his mouth, checking his breathing.

"Please be alive… please" she whispered. After several long seconds passed she started to give up hope. "Come on, breath" she said angrily, feeling that she was hopelessly too late. But as the words left her mouth, the dwarf took a ragged, shallow breath.

Not realising she had been holding her own breath, she exhaled loudly. He was gravely injured but at least she thought the young dwarf had a fighting chance at life yet.

As she stood up to retrieve her weapon she felt an agonising pain in her left side which took her breath away. Clutching her side blood quickly tinged her shirt crimson before dripping through her fingers. In shock she turned slowly to face a slightly wobbly yet menacing orc that she believed she had killed moments before, with her own sword gripped tightly in its hand. In her earlier frenzy she had missed her mark failing to kill it, although it was obvious that it had lost a lot of blood and would not last much longer. But knowing it hadn't got long to live the orc was even more dangerous than before. The orc leapt for her but before it had chance to drive in the killing blow, Loraviel snatched an arrow from the quiver on her shoulder and plunged it deep into the orc's neck. The orc released her sword and dropped to the grass dead before it could even register what had happened.

This time Loraviel picked up her weapon and knowing the orc was definitely not getting back up she went back to the dwarf's side. Furious with her poor judgement she almost yelled, "How could I be so stupid, you never turn your back on the enemy… and being injured by my sword…" she trailed off. The pain in her side snapped her out of her fury.

"The dwarf" she exclaimed remembering his presence once again. Unsteadily she bent down next to the dwarf sliding her arms under his shoulders, preparing to drag him back to her home.

This pained her greatly especially climbing back up the rock face to the entrance. Although the dwarf was young and didn't weigh too much, Loraviel still tripped several times making the pain in her side to intensify. She hardly got into the cave before she dropped the dwarf abruptly on the hard surface overcome with pain and exhaustion.

She sat there panting for a few minutes before pulling off her weapons and chucked them aside. She crawled painfully over to a dusty sack in the far corner of the cave, which contained many important items, including several long rolls of bandages. Pulling her top up it revealed a nasty looking wound above her hip bleeding heavily. Shakily she pressed her fingers into the wound causing tears to brim in her eyes from the pain, but gritting her teeth she continued to check it further.

Loraviel let out a small sob of relief, the wound was deep but it had missed her arteries and organs meaning she was fortunate, but she was still furious at herself for being so foolish. Grabbing a roll of bandage from the sack she securely wrapped it around her waist stopping most of the blood flow. Now she knew she would live she picked up more bandages and crawled back towards the dwarf.

He was still breathing ragged breaths but luck meant he had made it this far. Loraviel rolled out a spare, thick woollen blanket which she pulled the dwarf carefully the first time Loraviel was able to properly look at the person she had risked her life to save. Beyond all the blood and dirt she could see he had long dark brown hair just past the shoulder and unlike most dwarves only had a small amount of stubble substituting for a beard. Although, what surprised her most though was the sad expression etched on his face which made his kind features seem older than he was.

She leant over carefully pulling up his shirt, revealing a similar wound to hers; but his was shallower and was caused by a small dagger. But, unlike hers, it was inflamed and was an alarming shade of purple.

"Infection has set in and a bad one at that" she said quietly to herself, pondering her next move. Once again going over to the sack in the corner she pulled out a small pouch of liquid and some crushed herbs. She used the liquid to wash out the wound, acting as a homemade form of antiseptic, before she then added the herbs to keep out any further infection.

Loraviel was luckily always prepared and the long years of living off the land meant she could put almost anything together using only a few simple ingredients and a bit of willpower. Because of this ability she was also able to make a splint for the dwarf's broken leg using just some sticks and vine from the nearby woodland.

Aside from the infected wound, the dwarf's other injuries of a concussion, some fractured ribs and a broken leg were not too serious, however Loraviel was still concerned that the infection had already started to overpower his small body.

Exhausted, Loraviel moved to the wall opposite the dwarf and within minutes fell into a deep sleep, lasting for many hours. The next day she woke to the sound of movement, startled she looked up to see the dwarf thrashing around uncontrollably.

She jumped up and ran to the dwarf side trying to calm him down. "Hey, it's okay… calm down" she spoke softly but she knew he couldn't hear her. The infection had made him delusional and in a panic he was kicking out at her.

"Fili…FILI" he cried out. Confused to who he was calling out for, she gently took hold of his hand holding it between hers and almost instantly he stopped moving, whilst whispering "Kili" over and over to himself, before falling back to sleep.

She took it as a good sign that he was strong enough to speak and the wound looked less fierce, but the sheen of sweat across his forehead and the shivers that racked his whole body deeply worried her. He needed warmth but with no more blankets to give him she knew she would have to make a fire, which would mean leaving him to collect kindling.

* * *

Loraviel was gone for a few hours; she had to walk to the woodland about half a mile away behind the rock face to collect the wood, as well as travelling to a nearby spring to refill her water pouch. Arms full of wood she returned to cave just before nightfall, when the angry questioning of a very confused dwarf greeted her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Since this is my first story and i'm not the strongest writer, any reviews or advice would be really appreciated. Enjoy! :) **

"Where am I?" a feeble yet angry voice called out.

Loraviel returned to see the Dwarf had propped himself up on his elbow, trying to get a better look at the person standing across from him. Waking up just minutes earlier he imagined this place belonged to a crook in hiding or if he was lucky a ranger. What he wasn't expecting was a girl probably no older than 19 or 20 years old come strolling in.

She placed the wood down slowly not to alarm him, turning to see the dwarf trying to sit up.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you" she began, trying to sound calm at the dwarf's apparent anger. "You have a large dagger wound to your side and you fractured your ribs, if you move you could cause further damage" she insisted, glaring sternly at him.

The dwarf continued in vain to push himself up "you haven't answered my question," he declared suspiciously, returning the stare.

She sighed not sure whether to answer or not, unsure if she could trust him. She hesitated "You are in my home which lies on the grasslands west of the Misty Mountains".

He paused considering this before speaking again "how did I get here? And if I may ask… who are you?" he responded with the accusing tone still present in his voice.

"I am Loraviel Blackwater" she declared, "and you got here… when I saved your life from an orc out on the grass plains" she recalled, feeling rather annoyed at the ungrateful dwarf's questions, before returning her attention to making the fire.

He was silent for a few moments before lying back down. Loraviel moved wood to the centre of the cave where she often lit fires, trying to ignore the dwarf's presence until he spoke again.

"Thank you" he said as sincerely as possible, making up for his rudeness before. Realising how seriously injured he was, he knew he owed his life to her. "My name is Kili… Kili Oakenshield" he announced proudly, although looking down at his blood stained and torn clothes he didn't feel quite so proud any more. When Loraviel continued to ignore him, he persisted "Loraviel is an unusual name for a human, don't you think?" he asked curiously, still trying to figure out who is saviour was.

Finally after the wood caught a light and burned brightly, she sat down next to the fire opposite the dwarf, fiddling with charred pieces of kindling.

"It is" she admitted after several moments of silence. "My father chose that name when my mother died during child-birth" she paused, "he thought her beauty rivalled that of an elf maiden... so to keep alive her memory he bequeathed with me an elvish name" she explained with sorrow lingering in her voice, not taking her eyes of the timber in her hand.

Hearing the grief in her words Kili could tell that some past memory haunted her, so continued to question her. "Where is your father? Being so young he must be around" he asked abruptly, wanting to know why a young woman such as herself would choose to live in a cave so far from civilisation, unless she was hiding from something.

Looking up at him she spoke quietly "My father is dead… goblins killed him when I was young, just outside the gates of Gondor". She looked down holding back the tears that threatened to erupt every time she thought back to that day, where she was unable to come to her father's aid. "I live alone and I have done ever since then" she confessed mournfully, trying not to appear weak.

Kili immediately felt guilty for pushing her into an answer when her eyes filled with tears, he had both annoyed and upset her within the short space of time that he'd known her. He had a habit of not knowing when to back off and once again had gone too far.

"I'm sorry… my father also died when I was young…" he said trailing off at the end, feeling that something was missing.

Horrified, he bolted upright letting out a cry before crumpling back to the floor, breathing heavily at the fierce pain in his chest.

Lovarial was swiftly at his side lifting his top to check the wound. It had started to bleed lightly but he hadn't caused any more damage which she had feared. She groaned clearly annoyed, "foolish dwarf, do you wish to open the wound up again?… I refuse to cure an infection for a second time" she asked keeping a hand on his shoulder holding him down.

"You don't understand, I've got to go" he said trying to push free of Loraviel's grip. "I need to find…"

"Fili?" Loraviel interjected before Kili had chance to finish.

He froze, concern edging into his voice, "You've seen him" he declared. "Is he okay?" hardly containing his worry when thinking about what could have happened to his family and friends.

Moving back to the fire side she spoke "I do not know of him or his… fate, but you spoke his name earlier" She replied apologetically. She had hoped to ease his concern but she could tell by his expression of dread that she had only made things worse.

"I'm sure he is alive and well, when I found you there was no one for miles around but me and that orc." Although, she couldn't help but doubt her own words, Kili was in a bad condition, what's to say the orc didn't kill his brother before dragging Kili off towards his pack.

Kili was not about to let this go, "I can't be sure of that and even if he is alive, he and our company will be out searching for me.I must find them immediately" he pleaded with such determination that suggested he would crawl there if he had to.

Finally having enough with his demands she snarled "Look you ungrateful creature, I risked my life to save you, I was almost killed by that damn orc and you still want to throw that back in my face." Lifting her shirt she revealed her own battle scar. Loraviel wanted to shout at the dwarf for his foolishness but she was tired, and part of her knew if she had a sibling then she would travel to the end of the earth to make sure they were safe.

Looking at the dwarf's face, seeing only utter desperation and concern, she knew what should be done. He would not rest until his mind was put at ease and if he tried to escape then he would either kill himself of lead a pack of orc's straight to her doorstep. She had no choice but to track down Fili Oakenshield and company herself.

"If I find your company and explain to your dear brother that you are safe, will you please give up your disillusioned idea of leaving here until I deem you fit?" she asked sarcastically, hoping that it would sound too dangerous and that Kili would tell her to stay and not put herself at risk for his sake again.

He pondered this over in his mind, he was desperate to see his brother once more, but at least this was better than nothing and he would know he was safe. "Okay, when do you plan to leave?" he inquired sounding rather pleased with her decision.

This caught her off guard. "Unbelievable…" She sighed. She couldn't believe he would go along with this. But she was slightly relieved that it meant he wasn't going to plan a daring escape any time soon.

"I will leave at nightfall… maybe sooner, but only if you swear to me that you will not move from that spot, and if I think for one second that you will falter on your word then I will abandon this plan immediately!" she stressed the last part showing that she was deadly serious and would not be made a fool of.

Kili cleared his throat and mockingly raised his right hand to his heart reciting "I Kili Oakenshield, heir to the king below the mountain Thorin Oakenshield, will not move from this spot, and if I do then may I be ripped apart by a pack of angry wargs." He dropped his hand dramatically to his side, hardly able to contain a smile, satisfied with his little speech. Giving Loraviel the impression that this wasn't the first time he promised not to do something he shouldn't.

"Very funny dwarf" she said dryly trying to remain serious, but struggling because of the dwarf's expression of mock horror at the last part. "May I ask how many dwarves strong your company is and where I might find them" she asked fully gaining control of her expression, refusing to show anything but complete seriousness.

"Our company including me is 13 dwarves strong and Thorin Oakenshield leads us" he said, but thinking hard he struggled on their location. "I'm sorry, I can't remember… I think I last saw them around 5 miles west of some woodland, near a small pond, maybe" he frowned wishing he could be more helpful. His mind was clouded and he knew from the large throbbing bruise on the side of his head that he could have forgotten their most recent camp site.

Nodding her head, she replied. "I cannot be certain but I think I know where you are referring to. It will take me at least half a night's walk there and back, do you feel well enough for me leave you for so long?" she questioned slightly concerned that his fever had not completely died down.

"I feel fine, honestly I would go myself if not for my leg…and my ribs...and" he trailed off motioning to his various injuries. However, this was a lie, his hold body ached and his eyes felt heavy with exhaustion. But, He knew if he told Loraviel she wouldn't even think of leaving, so he put on a brave face, reassuring her with a defiant smile.

Loraviel wasn't convinced, she could see how weary he was, but had no choice but to believe the lie.

She got up and walked over to where she left her water pouch, picking it up she took a swig before gently throwing it over to Kili. "This will have to do for now... it's all I have. I hope to return with some supplies" she said picking up her weapons that lay discarded on the floor where she dropped them yesterday.

Watching Loraviel stiffly sling her bow and arrows over her shoulders, grasping her sword, Kili couldn't help feel slightly bad for making her leave when she was still feeling the effects of the fight the day before. He wanted to see his brother more than anyone else in the world, but he couldn't bear sending her away when she had already done so much for him.

Choosing his words carefully, which he knew he would probably come to regret. He objected almost inaudibly. "Don't go, really… you don't have to do this for me. I have caused you enough trouble already, don't put yourself in any more danger", trying to sound like the words didn't pain him as much as the dagger in the side did.

Loraviel didn't need to look at him to know he was lying, she could tell with every word he spoke that it hurt him to give up on his brother, to not know if he was dead or alive. But by even uttering those words she felt even more determined to go. If he cared enough to ask her to stay when he wanted so desperately to see his brother then he was a greater dwarf then she thought. With that she headed towards the cave exit, calling a brief farewell and reminded him off his promise, before setting off into the fading light.

Kili couldn't help but grin, she wasn't like most humans. She was different; she had unusual amounts of courage and wisdom that were beyond her short years. And there was something about her appearance that was foreign, she was the average height for a human and her face had the minor imperfections that many humans share. But there was something rare about her, something he couldn't quite recognise.

His vision started to blur, now she was gone he let down his guard allowing his shattered body to drift into a deep slumber. Knowing that when he awoke he would have news of his brother.


	3. Chapter 3

Loraviel set off at dusk, reaching her destination by midnight when the moon was shining bright above her. She circled a small group of trees near the last known spot of the company, searching for any sign of their presence, but found nothing to suggest they had been there for several days. The only thing she could find was a soggy handkerchief which she dropped immediately when realising what it was.

Becoming increasingly annoyed she started to wonder if the dwarf she left behind had planned to send her out here whilst he made his escape, taking most of her belongings with him. Although, she had some comfort knowing if that was the case, he wouldn't get far on an injured leg.

Adjusting the bow on her shoulder she prepared to head back, when she heard someone standing close behind her. Gripping her sword tighter she was ready to turn and greet whoever was there. Until the cold blade of a dagger pressed firmly against her throat and a hand gripped the back of her collar.

"Now, who do we have here then?" a gruff voice spoke loudly into her ear, making the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

Loraviel didn't get the chance to answer before another pair of hands roughly pulled the sword from her grip and removed her bow and quiver from her shoulder. She tried to catch a glimpse at the assailants face but it was shrouded by a large brown hat that folded down at the sides hiding his appearance from view.

"I don't know Dwalin" he paused unsure but continued anyway, "maybe they're a spy or maybe… maybe they are an assassin planning to murder us all in our sleep" he accused directing this more to Loraviel than his partner.

Loraviel noticed something he had said about murdering them "all". There are others she thought.

The knife under throat pushed deeper causing her to squeak out in pain. They asked her business again whilst making her neck feel more uncomfortable. She was adamant she wasn't about to tell them her reason for being there in such a vulnerable situation. Not able to take it any longer she whipped her hand up grabbing the dagger and head-butted her captor with a sickening force that made her eyes water. It did the trick; her captor relaxed his grip enough for her to fall forward onto the floor with the dagger in hand.

Regaining her composure she stood up facing the pair, knife outstretched. Presented in front of her was two dwarves, one was kneeling on the floor pinching his nose trying to stop a hefty nosebleed which had gushed blood all over his clothes and boots, whilst the other stood over him, eyeing Loraviel with contempt.

The one on the floor groaned. "My nose, I think she's broke my bloody nose, Bofur" he muttered in disbelief, not sure how she could over power such a burly dwarf as he.

Bofur took his friend's arm helping him to his feet and took his axe. "Go get Thorin and the others, I'll make sure she stays put, don't ya worry about that" he said staring intently at Loraviel. Even though he was slightly smaller and not as muscular as the other dwarf she knew he put up a good fight if it came to it.

As the dwarf Dwalin turned to leave she shouted for him to wait. But Ignoring her he continued walking back to his company.

She called again "wait, please wait. I have an urgent message for Fili Oakenshield. Is he part of your company? I must speak to him" she paused, dropping the dagger and raising her hands showing that she meant them no harm.

Dwalin stopped and turned to face Loraviel. His words were full of suspicion "what is your business with him?" he asked looking her up and down with an untrusting gaze.

She ignored this and spoke carefully trying not to antagonize the pair. "That is my business and it is of extreme importance that I speak to him at once" she pleaded, taking a step forward in their direction.

They gave each other a questioning glance before Bofur spoke. "Well I'm not standing here all night! What harm will it do?" he asked the other.

Dwalin wasn't so sure but nodded anyway. "Fine, I will go ahead and warn the others, you bring her along after me" he ordered.

With that, Dwalin strode off ahead leaving just Loraviel and Bofur standing alone in the dark. Bofur shifted nervously, watching Loraviel intently. He looked as if he was about to ask her a question, but looked away thinking better of it.

After they had stood in the dark silently for several minutes Bofur turned to Loraviel motioning her forwards with his arm towards the direction of the other dwarves.

"Come on then" he called. "Best not keep your… business waiting any longer" he motioned again when Loraviel didn't move.

This time she walked cautiously towards him, wishing she had the dagger to hand in case it was a trap. Although looking at the dwarf next to her she didn't believe that he meant her any harm and if anything he looked slightly threatened by her presence.

They only walked a short distance when the trees started to thin out and the space in front of them became increasingly lighter. Just before they reached an opening Bofur put a hand out to stop Loraviel.

He hesitated. "Look I don't know what business you have with Fili or the company, but you have come at a terrible time… so if you have come to cause trouble than just know we are in no mood to be messed around" he warned. Loraviel wondered if this was because of Kili and hopefd her news wouldn't lead to her death.

"My presence may change that" she stated before walking the last remaining steps into a small clearing with Bofur trotting behind.

She was greeted by the sight of 11 dwarves sitting around a large fire. As she entered Dwalin was deep in conversation for a dark-haired dwarf, appearing to not have noticed her arrival. Although, a moment later he cleared his throat, glanced over to Bofur and made a gesture to come closer. Bofur took hold of Loraviel's shoulder pulling her closer towards the group. At his touch she flinched wanting to pull away, but the look on the dwarves' weary faces suggested that they were not about to fight her.

When she was only a few feet away Bofur let go of her arm and moved away to a spot next to a grey haired dwarf near the fire. At this Thorin glanced over to Loraviel with a look of annoyance before looking back down at the fire, deciding that she did not require his full attention.

"Dwalin tells me you have business with my nephew. However, since we are all on a shared quest, your business is with all of us" he declared loudly.

Loraviel knew instantly that this was the great Thorin Oakenshield that Kili had told her about, his clear commanding voice was suited to that of a king. She looked around at the other faces, many of which were looking her way apart from one young, blonde haired dwarf that was looking down at his boots with a look of sheer despair. When he gave a quick glance her way she could see the almost identical features of the dwarf that lay injured back home. So this is Fili, the brother I am here to see, she thought to herself.

Speaking directly to Fili she declared, "My name is Loraviel and I must speak to Fili Oakenshield urgently". Fili looked up startled at being addressed by this stranger. She didn't take her eyes of the dwarf when Thorin stood up.

"Didn't you hear what I said? You either speak to the company, or you speak to no one" he threatened staring at Loraviel.

She was growing tired with him and was tempted to leave so that this miserable dwarf would never know the fate of his heir, but thinking back to the desperate state of Kili she gritted her teeth and ignored him.

"Well, if I knew that you cared so little for news of your missing nephew then I wouldn't have bothered walking most the night to find you" she said sharply, watching their expressions turn to anger.

Fili jumped to his feet and ran at Loraviel, whilst Thorin closed the gap between them. The other dwarves prepared for a fight by reaching for their weapons.

"What news do you have? Speak now!" Thorin shouted grabbing her wrist, crushing it between his hands.

Loraviel was stunned at the uncontrolled rage in his voice and the pain in her wrist. She swung her free arm round, punching the dwarf king as hard as she could in cheek. Like with Dwalin, he released his grip long enough for her to quickly back away, ready to take on the many dwarves that had since crowded around the pair.

Thorin put his hand to his face feeling the blood trickle down his cheek, his look of fury genuinely frightened Loraviel, it was a look of such anger that she had never seen up until this moment. He was ready to lurch forward at her, until the gap between Loravial and Thorin was suddenly blocked by another body. Fili was face to face with his uncle, with his hand blocking his uncle's sword.

"Uncle please, She has news of Kili… it will not help us find him if you hurt her" he pleaded still holding on the weapon. Thorin paused, furious at the girl's actions.

"She knows nothing, look at her, she is after money and that is all. Do not be blinded by her story" he growled.

Still standing between them he grabbed his uncle's shoulder. "What if she has news and you send her away, we may never find him. I will not forgive myself if I do not at least listen to her". He said with the determination that Kili had shown earlier regarding his brother.

Thorin looked at his nephew a little longer before nodding his head grudgingly and turning back towards the others. Fili waited until they had moved away before facing Loraviel.

"What news do you have of Kili? Is he alive?" he asked with worry etched across his face.

"Do not worry, he is alive" she smiled at the look of relief on his face and the long sigh he let out.

"Where is he?" Fili asked looking past her, expecting to see him stroll in any time soon.

Loraviel knew he would be disappointed at what she had to say, but she continued anyway, telling him about the orc and how she has cared for Kili over the last couple of days. She was correct, he looked more concerned with every passing second and by the time she had finished she wasn't sure he could take much more when learning his brother was gravely wounded.

"Thank you" he stuttered, a little taken back by what she had said. "I must tell the others… wait here" he insisted before running over to the group of dwarves that stood a short distance away, glaring at their visitor suspiciously.

Loraviel could him recalling the story to the company before they let out a small cheer and smiled warmly. When he had finished the tale and the dwarves had gotten all the information out of him they could, Fili, Thorin and another dwarf returned to her.

"We will saddle up and ride out immediately" Thorin declared, waiting for Kili's location.

"No! He is not well enough to travel. He can't ride for another few days, you don't understand how weak he is, he…" she trailed off when the dwarves opposite her looked betrayed.

"Are you denying me my heir?" Thorin spoke with the threatening tone creeping back into his voice. Fili and the other dwarf stood motionless.

"Haven't you listened to me? He's injured, surely being his uncle, Kili's health is more important to you than continuing on with your quest" she asked when his anger rose.

"What is it you want? Money for his return or are you after gold? I can assure you we have neither… we are just simple merchants" the other older dwarf spoke.

This took Loraviel back, they thought she was ransoming him. Why couldn't they understand that she didn't want him to get hurt?.

"Oin is right, what do you want? Because I assure you, we will not allow you to leave until you swear to take us to Kili!" Thorin stated reaching for his sword.

Loraviel was furious. "Are you threatening me dwarf? Because if you dare think that I will be threatened, you are mistaken" she questioned, holding her ground.

At this, Thorin lunged forward grabbing her neck between his hand and squeezed tightly. The force alone nearly knocked her off her feet, but the grip around her throat made her splutter for breath. When he tightened his grip further it made her light-headed and she was sure that she would pass out any second now. But just as the darkness began to take hold of her, Thorin released his grip letting her drop to her knees gasping for breath.

When Loraviel looked up Thorin was arguing with Fili, with many of the other dwarves walking to the pair's aid.

"If you kill her then Kili is dead? We have no choice but to trust her" Fili yelled at his uncle.

Oin who came over earlier piped up. "I'm inclined to agree with him on this one Thorin, what choice do we have?" he asked looking down pitifully at Loraviel still kneeling on the grass holding her neck, trying desperately hard not to cry.

"Fine! But if Kili has not been returned in 5 moons time then we will hunt you down" he snarled at Loraviel.

At this she stood up still holding her neck and glared at Thorin. "It is settled then. I will return him at noon in 5 moons time, but I want a horse waiting for me 6 miles west of here on the grass plains so we can move quickly" she explained sharply looking at the leader with nothing but disgust.

Dwalin moved closer to them. "How do we know we can we trust you?" he asked suspiciously.

"You don't" she answered before turning away and walking quickly out of the clearing. She felt slightly guilty at the last remark when she saw Fili's face, but she was furious at Thorin and part of her wanted to hurt him the only way she knew how.

Standing just inside the tree cover she allowed the tears to flow, her neck was throbbing and her voice was hoarse from Thorin's grip. She wondered how many more times she would risk her life for the injured dwarf, it was becoming a habit she was growing very tired off.

She spun around when she heard the snap of a twig behind her, only to see Fili standing a few feet from her holding a small sack.

"Take this, it has medicine and food in it for Kili" he offered it with a warm smile.

She desperately needed the supplies but after the last encounter with the dwarf's uncle she was hesitant. She looked hard at the dwarf but saw nothing untrusting about his expression, so she reached over taking the sack from his hand. She nodded her head in a thank you as she turned to leave.

"Wait, could you give him something else?" he asked holding out a smooth stone in front of him.

She quickly took it before putting it in her pocket. "Why do you give me this?" she asked wondering why Kili would want such a pointless item.

"Kili was given that by our mother before we left, it's to remind him of a promise to her" he replied, before continuing. "Kili went to check out the area for orcs, but when he didn't return we went looking for him and this is all we could find it. He would never lose this, so we knew something had happened to him" he said looking mournful.

"I will make sure it is returned to him safely" she replied coldly, she wasn't sure whether he was stalling her so the others could prepare themselves to follow her back, but when she saw the same look of worry that his brother gave she knew she could trust him. Loraviel turned to leave but couldn't bear leaving him like that, the look of childlike fear he pulled off so well made her feel awful.

Shaking her head, she pulled the stone out her pocket and threw it to him, watching as his face sunk even more.

"You don't have him do you? That's why you're giving me this back" he exclaimed looking distraught.

"No… I have him, but you can give it to him yourself… if you want to" she asked hesitantly. The loyalty and sense of family the dwarves shared made her determined to help him, even if every instinct told her not to trust them. She thought how this family of dwarves would be the death of her.

Realising what Loraviel was saying Fili sprinted back to the others grabbing his pack before explaining that he would accompany her back to Kili. Thorin did not like this one bit, he didn't want to risk losing his only heir, but he knew Fili could handle himself. This pleased her somewhat to see the leader so annoyed but when Fili returned to Loraviel's side moments later full of a renewed joy it and her weapons returned to her, it made her even more satisfied with her decision.

"If I think your presence will cause more harm than good I will not hesitate to send you away. Kili knows I have travelled to see you but I had not prepared him for this." she explained, hoping that bringing him along was the right decision.

Fili said nothing in return but with a sombre nod of his head showed he agreed. With this Loraviel swung her bow over shoulder and placed the sword at her hip before they set off deeper into the trees, ready for the long walk back to the cave.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry this chapter took so long to post, revision is currently taking over my life.**

By the time Loraviel and Fili reached the cave dawn was close on the horizon. The journey only took 4 hours, taking much less time to return than it did to reach the dwarves. Loraviel had hoped to be home sooner but delivering the message took a lot longer and was far more trouble than she could have ever imagined. Fili insisted on jogging most of the distance eager to see his brother, but she had to remind him that this was the second time she had made the journey that night and her side was still very painful. Fili stopped jogging and slowed to a brisk walk and even offered to carry Loraviel at one point when she couldn't keep up with him. The time passed quickly with Fili, he spoke cheerfully about his life back home telling her many funny stories of him and Kili when they were younger and of his mother. She could tell from the stories that he prided himself being the protective big brother and took the role seriously, even putting his life on the line for him. When telling a particularly funny story about an archery lesson that resulted in Fili being thrown 20 feet into the air and caused his Uncle's beard to be almost burnt completely off, he pulled the top of his tunic down to below his collarbone flashing a large pink scare.

"I got this one from an exploding arrow" he declared. "Kili was practising his archery and wanted to shoot a flaming arrow like he had seen an old human do, but when he couldn't get the arrow to light so he ran to the forge where our uncle worked and came back with some blue powder. We were only young at the time and Kili had seen it used to make the fire to burn brighter and didn't see the danger of sprinkling it on the arrow. When he went to the light the arrow Thorin who had followed Kili from the forge yelled for him to stop, causing him to drop the branch we had lit to light the arrow into the pot of powder." He laughed when he saw the look of horror on Loraviel face.

"What happened?" she asked, clearly shocked.

Fili continued. "Thorin ran into Kili, knocking him to the floor out of the way off the blast… The pot exploded sending me and charred pieces of arrow flying. It shot me about 20ft into the air, knocking me unconscious when I hit the floor, I came round a few moments later Thorin was running towards me, beard on fire with Kili in his arms. A piece of the arrow went straight through me" he pointed at the scar, laughing a little at the memory.

"How are you even alive?" she questioned wondering how a dwarfling wasn't killed by the force alone.

"Thorin couldn't believe it either, he was sure I must have been killed or was bleeding out. But the arrow that hit me was red hot from the powder so it went through sealing the wound at the same time. When Thorin got to me all there was left was this scar, the arrow was in the ground under my shoulder" he exclaimed looking quite impressed at the incident.

"Either you are the luckiest dwarf alive or you have someone looking over you" she replied before coming to a halt.

"We're home" she declared pointing at the large rock face ahead of them.

Fili didn't reply but stood by her side looking confused wondering if it was possible for anyone to live in such a place.

She turned to face him. "Remember what I said earlier. You must try to keep him calm, do not excite him. When I left him he had a bad fever and nearly opened his wound back up" she said sternly.

Fili didn't reply, he just stood there looking nervous, unsure at the prospect of what he might find.

When they had climbed to the cave entrance and stood just outside Loraviel motioned for Fili to wait whilst she checked on Kili before allowing him in. When she went inside Kili was sitting bolt upright with a dagger in his hand ready to throw it, as he saw Loraviel he dropped it, sighing with relief.

"I thought you were an orc" he confessed slightly embarrassed.

Loraviel walked over to his side and knelt next to him. "I see you kept your promise not to move" she smiled. "You look better as well, how do you feel?"

"I feel fine. Did you find Fili?" he asked abruptly, refusing to waste any time with pleasantries.

Fili had silently stepped into the cave and walked over to his brother during this time and when he was just a few feet away he called over to Kili, "You look rough little brother".

Kili he spun his head around to be greeted with his brother and in complete surprise he jumped to his feet forgetting about his injuries. He would have fallen to the floor if not for his brother catching him at last moment and bringing him into a tight embrace. They remained like this for several moments until Fili looked up and saw the look of annoyance on Loraviel's face, she was happy that they'd been reunited but she had told Fili not to excite his brother.

Fili helped Kili sit back down before settling down next to him, looking completely overjoyed to be beside his brother again. They spoke among themselves for many minutes with Fili returning Kili's rune stone whilst Loraviel searched through the sack Fili had given her. She found 2 loaves of bread and pouch of some vile smelling liquid that resembled honey. She assumed it must be something for Kili so placed it back in the sack with one of the loaves. she ripped the other into 3 pieces before sharing it out among herself and the dwarves, as she handed Kili his piece he grabbed her arm.

"What in Mahal's name is that?" he gasped staring at the now fierce black and yellow bruise around her neck.

Loraviel snatched her hand away and covered the bruise with it. "It is nothing to be concerned about. Worry about your own injuries" she replied trying to sound indifferent, even though it throbbed painfully.

Fili shifted uncomfortably next to his brother taking a large bite from his bread, knowing exactly the origin of the bruise. Kili sensed from his brother's reaction that he was hiding something from him. "What are you keeping from me?" he asked shifting his gaze between his brother and Loraviel.

"Who did that to her, Fili?" He demanded furiously.

Loraviel could tell that Kili was about to lose his temper if they didn't give him an explanation, so she interjected. "There was a misunderstanding at your camp, Thorin thought…" she paused seeing how furious he was when she mentioned his uncle.

"Thorin did this… How could you let him hurt her? He asked turning his attention back to his brother, looking furious.

Fili was taken aback by this accusation. "I didn't let him do anything, when have I ever been able to stop uncle when he's been set on something. I only just managed to stop him before she passed out" he glowered at his brother.

"It was my fault, I kept you from him and he thought that I was keeping you prisoner, he only did it out of fear for you. If I hadn't angered him by punching him he probably wouldn't have done it" She said.

Kili wasn't happy with this explanation but he couldn't bear fighting with his brother any longer when they had only just been reunited. When Fili passed him his rune stone he couldn't help but smile and forgive his brother. "I didn't think he would act so strongly, I'm sorry" he paused before continuing. "Did you really punch him?" he asked looking surprised at the small girl in front of him.

She could see this surprised him. "I did what I had to do... and I didn't draw much blood" she replied smirking at the thought of the older dwarf's shocked expression.

A while passed before Kili reached towards a long stick lying near him, until then Loraviel hadn't noticed it and she knew it wasn't there before she left.

She jumped up,"You left the cave didn't you?" she accused. You do realise you could have been killed, orcs are everywhere and you can hardly stand, let alone fight. Do you want to get yourself killed" she added.

Kili ignored her and grabbed the stick, slowly prising himself up; Fili offered a hand out to his brother to steady him but Kili tapped it away. After several minutes of Loraviel and Fili watching tentatively preparing to catch him if he stumbled, Kili succeeded in standing up with triumph look on his face. Fili stood up and patted his shoulder with a proud look.

"How do you expect me to be ready to leave in a week if you keep me confined to a bed?" he asked with a wink, before hobbling across the cave and back in a show of strength. He was able to put some weight on his leg but balanced it mostly on the stick he lwas leaning on. Fili laughed when seeing that his brother's strength and wit hadn't completely left him.

Loraviel sighed, she could tell from the dwarve's laughter and jokes that the next 7 days would be far from boring and would be very tiring.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you for reading up until now, I hope you enjoy this chapter =)**

A week had passed since Loraviel had reunited the injured Kili with his older brother Fili. She thought it was stressful caring for one dwarf, she could never have imagined what it would be like looking after two. Being an only child orphaned since her early teens she often spent many long months alone hardly ever coming across another human, let alone living with anyone else. She had never realised how much missed being surrounded by others, but the past week had been the most tiring, stressful and exciting week off her life and she was going to miss the dwarves week had gone by so quick that Loraviel could hardly believe it and the dwarves had grown on her. She still thought they could be foolish and stubborn at times but their constant cheerfulness and enthusiasm even at the darkest times was infectious.

Kili had grown stronger and was able to put weight on his leg without the use of a stick to balance himself, and even the stab wound was now just a nice pink scar. The rate dwarves healed marvelled Loraviel, she hadn't expected him to survive such a trauma yet to be wrestling his brother after just a few short days was something else. Although, Fili had been the driving force behind his quick recovery; everyday Fili would walk him across the cave and lifted his spirits by discussing their quest, which Loraviel never paid much attention to.

Fili and Kili were asleep in the corner of the cave, snoring loudly. It was still early morning around 5am, Loraviel couldn't sleep at the prospect of returning the dwarves today, she couldn't help but worry at the prospect of meeting Thorin again. The last encounter with the Dwarf king still left the yellowing marks around her neck. The brothers had tried to convince her that her uncle was a great dwarf but this still didn't put Loravial at ease.

After a few moments the snoring subsided slightly and there was moment in the corner. Kili stretched before shuffling his way over to Loraviel, before sitting down next to her with a thud, yawning widely.

"Good morning Lora, couldn't sleep?" Kili whispered not trying to wake his sleeping brother.

Loraviel hadn't heard this greeting before this week and its meaning still confused her greatly. The dwarves told her they had learnt it from a wizard, who had told them that halflings use it to greet folk before midday. Since the dwarves planned to meet a hobbit during their quest they had started using it for practice.

"Good morning Kili. No, I thought I would check the area for orcs" Loraviel replied in the same happy tone, smiling at the look of the messy haired dwarf. This was a lie; there hadn't been a sign or orcs for several days and the area was unusually quiet.

"No, that's not the reason" he stated looking slightly concerned, before laughing. "You couldn't sleep because you are madly in love with us and can't bear to see us leave today" he winked and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

She put a hand over her mouth trying to suppress the laughter. Kili was cheeky and mischievous never letting anything get him down, which Loraviel adored. Just like his brother he loved spending hours telling her stories of his childhood, which she listened to intently since she couldn't remember much of her childhood so cherished his family stories. Although similar to his brother, Fili was calmer and tended make less brash decisions.

"I know your uncle wanted us there at noon, but I think we should leave a littler earlier" Loraviel suggested whilst handing Kili some rabbit she caught that morning.

Kili nodded his head and ate the offering. Dwarves have huge appetites and at the mention of food seemed to pull Fili out of his dreams, waking him up almost instantly. Taking a seat next to his brother he took a rabbit leg munching on it eagerly.

"Gud mornin'" he mumbled, swallowing a big mouthful of food.

Kili beamed smiled at his brother and called him a pig before punching him in the arm playfully.

"Loraviel thinks we should leave shortly so we are not late back to the company" Kili filled his brother on Loraviel's earlier conversation. Like Kili did, Fili nodded in agreement.

As the dwarves finished their breakfast, they heard a commotion outside signalling trouble. They all jumped up and walked to the cave entrance and looked out at the grassland ahead of them, where around 20 orcs had gathered. They were walking around aimlessly staring at the ground searching for something. This was unusual for orcs as they were not patient creatures and would probably become bored and agitated soon. Loraviel grabbed the dwarves by the arms pulling them back into the cave before they were spotted.

"I wonder what they are looking for… Hopefully they find it soon and leave" she muttered to the dwarves. Only when she looked at them did she notice the nervous glances they were sharing and how eerily silent they had become.

Fili spoke quietly "you might not wish that if you knew they were holding Kili's bow".

Dread flushed over Loraviel, if they had found his bow and no doubt the dead orc then they would be looking for Kili. The grass was fairly long and they would have left tracks when walking to and from the cave, it wouldn't be long before they found them.

"Get your stuff, we're going now" she ordered before grabbing the few possessions she had gathered over the years and stuffed them in her pack, before slinging it on to her back. If they found the cave it would never be safe for her to return, the entrance was too small for them now, but if they thought there was someone inside they would not rest until they got inside.

Fili and Kili were ready in minutes and stood by her side ready to go at her command.

"We will have to go around the back of the rock face so not to be seen, it's too dangerous to travel the route we came. If we leave now we should reach your uncle by sundown." She declared.

Fili shook his head. "No if we are late then Thorin will think something has happened and he will come looking for us, they will walk straight into the path of orcs" Fili insisted.

It was too risky to go past the orcs but Loraviel knew that if they were not back by noon Thorin would be furious and Fili and Kili would never let the others get hurt. She thought her options through, she knew another way but this was also dangerous and went straight past the waiting pack of orcs.

She sighed and handed Kili a bow and quiver since Fili had told her about his skill with the weapon.

"We will go the front way, but we may need to run. Kili won't be able to run far on that leg, could you carry Kili on your back until we reach the ponies?" she inquired.

The brothers glanced at each other before nodding in agreement; Kili was thinner than Fili so it wasn't going to be too difficult for the older brother.

They left the cave quickly with Kili walking for now until they reached the grass below. They crouched in the undergrowth and shuffled quickly towards the cover of trees a short distance away. Once in the safety of the trees cover Fili motioned for Kili to get on his back, before setting off in a jog.

They jogged steadily for nearly 2 hours with only a few shorts breaks to catch their breath and for Fili to have a break from the burden of Kili on his back. Kili had tried jogging but his leg became too painful and he held up the others so had to be carried again.

When they thought the orcs were a safe distance behind them, all 3 walked towards a large clearing in front of them. By the high position of the sun in the sky Loraviel guessed that it was nearly noon and that they were running late, she knew once they were in the saddle they could pick up the pace and be with the company within an hour. When they got to a clearing in the trees several minutes later they could see 2 ponies tethered to a tall oak tree in the centre. One was a dark bay colour with a long shaggy mane which hung low against its wither, this was slightly smaller than the dapple grey pony standing next to it which had a thick bushy mane. When the dwarves saw their companions the greeted them warmly like old friends.

"Hello boys" Fili beamed patting the two ponies affectionately.

Once the ponies were untethered and they'd checked the tack they climbed into the saddle. Fili agreed to ride the smaller pony whilst Loraviel rode the other with Kili sitting behind her, before setting off in a gentle trot.

Fili who was just ahead of the other two pulled the horse to a stop, pausing to listen. Before he had the chance to shout to the others several orcs riding on the back of wargs entered the clearing behind them. Seeing this they kicked the ponies into a fast gallop towards the trees in front of them. The ponies found it difficult to wind through the trees and slipped multiple times on the moist ground. Once they had reached the end of the trees where a vast plain lay ahead of them Loraviel shouted over to Fili who was riding astride of them.

"Fili, go and find your company!" she yelled, hoping for reinforcements. He nodded and rode ahead, the others wouldn't be far and since they were late the company would have already set off to find them. The little grey pony was dripping with sweat and was breathing heavily, they knew they couldn't keep this pace up for long.

A warg and orc quickly closed the gap between them and were soon at their side. In an instant Kili pulled the bow off his shoulder and before the orc had chance to ride any closer Kili had shot an arrow into the warg's head, killing it immediately. It fell forward sending the orc crashing to the floor, snapping its neck on impact.

Seeing the fight Loraviel and Kili put up caused the rest of the pack to surge forward trying to surround them. Kili was firing arrows wildly into the air but the sharp twists and turns by the pony meant most missed their intended mark, hitting the ground by their feet.

They were struggling to go faster than a canter now with a warg overtaking the pair of them. When it was a few strides a head of them it pulled out a bow of its own firing an arrow straight at them. Kili was distracted with the orcs behind them so didn't see the arrow coming their way, knowing this Loraviel sharply pulled the pony to the right taking the arrow to her hip. She let out a gasp as the pain took her breath away. Clutching the arrow in one hand she tried swiftly pulling out, but the pain took over her and the blood that poured out nearly made her pass out. She had never felt pain like it, it throbbed intensely and clouded her vision. Tears started to stream down her face with every jolted movement of the pony which made the agony ten times worse.

She was briefly aware of Kili's curses when he sent his last arrow shooting through the air missing its mark again. By now the grey pony had a large red stain down one side reaching all the way down to its hoof from the blood that gushed from Loraviel's wound. Feeling more and more dizzy she start to slump onto the pony's neck until Kili noticed the alarming amount of blood and gently took the reins from her grip. It was only by sheer luck that they avoided any remaining strikes from the orcs before they saw the Fili and company running towards them swords drawn.

Loraviel was barely conscious now and was fighting the sleep threatening to take hold of her weak body. Kili had one arm wrapped tightly around her waist in an attempt to keep her in the saddle and to stem some of the bleeding, but struggled as she slumped further forwards.

"Loraviel… stay awake, we're nearly there. Please just stay awake" he pleaded as her weight grew heavier in his arms as her thoughts sunk deeper into darkness.

She willed herself with every ounce of strength left in her body to keep her eyes open until she had reached the safety of the dwarves. Through blurred eyes she saw the concerned face of Fili looking up at her as the sped by and warrior like expression of determination on Thorin's face before she passed out and toppled of the side of the pony dragging Kili with her onto the hard ground.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for the reviews, favourites and follows, I really appreciate them. I hope you enjoy this chapter (:**

Loraviel had not yet woken up, which concerned the dwarves greatly, especially the young dwarves that hardly left her side. Oin had done a great job sealing the wound with the little tools he had, the blood poured so quickly that they had no other choice but to cauterize it to prevent her bleeding out using a small dagger they heated in a fire. It wasn't ideal but Kili and Fili had begged the others to save her. Even during the agonising procedure she never made a sound which was even more concerning. After 3 days she still remained unconscious and was still a sickly shade of grey giving her a look of death.

Luckily, when Fili left Loraviel and Kili with the orcs 3 days ago the company had grown impatient and under Thorin's orders went in search for the heirs, so were close by. Fili had nearly galloped straight into the dwarves when he rounded a corner and they stood there looking stunned, they hardly wasted another minute when Fili explained what happened, running until they saw Kili's pony in the distant. Kili was thankful for Thorin's orders to leave sooner as he was certain the pony or Loraviel wouldn't have lasted any longer. The grey pony now appropriately named Lucky still had the faint red stain along its side with a few scrapes, but overall was uninjured by the whole ordeal. Even the dwarves had collected a few injuries but none that rivalled the injured girl lying under a nearby tree wrapped in bloody bandages.

After leaving Loraviel to eat his meal by the fire Kili stretched his stiff shoulder feeling it pull painfully. Kili's older injuries had almost healed but falling of the pony had left a nasty bruise across his shoulder, although was nothing to concern about and had definitely experienced worse.

"How is your shoulder Kili?" Thorin asked looking worried.

"It feels much better, I will try using a bow tomorrow" Kili replied glumly.

Thorin noticed his sad tone and looked between his nephews seeing that they shared the same miserable expression. Of course he knew the source of their sadness and didn't want to upset them further but they were already behind schedule and couldn't hold his tongue any longer.

He moved closer to his nephews sitting a few feet in front of them and sighed. "I know how you feel about the girl but we can't postpone this any longer, we must leave tomorrow" he paused thinking about how he would say the next part. "Be realistic, humans do not survive those type of injuries especially a young one, you must understand that we cannot wait any longer for false hope." When he finished he looked up at the two young dwarves in front of him expecting a look of understanding, he couldn't believe how wrong he was.

Kili lunged for his uncle fist raised towards his uncle's face, he knocked Thorin over and landed on top of him, however Dwalin and Nori who was sitting close by pulled Kili of the dishevelled king, whilst Fili sat there looking shocked at Kili but more so at his uncle's lack of compassion. Kili was struggling agaisnst the two pairs of hands gripped tight around his arms with Fili at his side trying to calm him down.

Fili wasn't able to stop Kili's torrent of abuse hurled at Thorin. "She saved my life twice and you won't even give her this chance just once" he roared, but didn't stop there getting angrier with every second. "Is that what you did with our father when he was wounded on the battlefield, did you leave him to die because it didn't fit with your plans?" Kili finished his tirade still shaking furiously.

Thorin who had stood up walked towards Kili preparing to strike him but stopped short with some unexpected restraint. "Do not forget your place, I am your king before your uncle" he roared just inches away catching Kili of guard. Thorin turned to leave but hesitated still angry. "I gave my sister away at her wedding to your father, when my father was not around to do so. Do you think I wanted you to have to go through that?" he replied with a hint of regret in his voice before disappearing into the trees nearby.

Fili and Kili were shocked into silence, they were still furious but Thorin's confession had certainly surprised them. Dwalin and Nori released their grip and returned to the others who had stopped to watch the scuffle looking utterly stunned, whilst Fili and Kili stormed off in the opposite direction.

Thorin muttered to himself kicking several logs in his path when walking into the forest that encircled the clearing they had set up camp in, hoping to release some anger. The last person he expected to see sitting by a small creek was the person he had just fought over.

Looking pale and tired Loraviel sat with her head rested in her hands staring at the water below her. When she woke to minutes earlier to see the dwarves arguing over her she crept away hoping to leave before they noticed to restore the peace, but became dizzy before she had got far and had to sit down to avoid falling, much to her annoyance.

"Don't fret dwarf, I'm leaving" Loraviel muttered dryly not bothering to look up at him. She tried standing but had to steady herself against a large rock when a fresh wave of nausea swept her body causing her vision to blur momentarily.

Thorin hadn't noticed how young and vulnerable she looked, he couldn't help but feel pity towards the young human. He wanted her to go so they could continue their quest without the added hassle she brought, but he didn't want her to wander off into the dark on her own when she was so injured.

"Maybe I could send for your parents or someone to care for you whilst you recover" he asked cautiously seeing he face drop at the last part.

"I don't think even the great Thorin Oakenshield can send for the dead... Any way I do not need caring for, I'm not a child" she replied bitterly.

Thorin shuffled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "How old were you when they died?" he queried curiously. It is one thing to come across a lone ranger across your travels but a teenager was much less common.

"My mother died at my birth and my father when I was 12 years old" she muttered looking away from the older dwarf refusing to cry at the thought. She wondered what it was with dwarves that made them so nosey.

Thorin was intrigued by this; he didn't think it was possible for a human child to be orphaned and survive for so many years on her own. Maybe she will be less of a burden than he originally thought, the fact she was alive even now showed some hidden strength. He still resented her but felt some duty towards helping her, especially as he was in her debt for saving his heir's life and was far too proud to remain in someone else's debt.

With a frustrated huff, Thorin walked back to the campsite leaving Loraviel leaning up against the rock feeling slightly confused at his sudden departure.

When Thorin returned to the campsite seeing the dwarves rushing around in a panic he grabbed Fili's shirt as he jogged by, pulling him to a stop. "What is the matter with you all?" he asked concerned.

Fili shook of his uncle's grip. "Lora's gone, I think something has happened to her, but I doubt you're interested," he snapped walking off.

"I am interested in the members of my company whether they are dwarf or… human" he replied matter of factly.

Fili's mouth dropped open. "She's a part of our… company?" he questioned looking shocked.

"Only until your debt is repaid, she can travel with us until that time but not a moment longer" he hissed. "She's over there" he muttered pointing to the place he returned from.

"Kili" Fili called running into the trees where his uncle pointed, followed by his brother who didn't look at his uncle.

When Fili explained to Kili what Thorin had said he couldn't believe it either but was grateful that Thorin had a change of heart and Loraviel wasn't leaving any time soon.

Loraviel was surprised when the brothers came running over to her and took her into a tight embrace, only letting go when she winced when one of them hugged her wound. They let go immediately and checked her over.

"We thought you were a goner for sure. Oin thought you had lost so much blood that you wasn't going to live the first night" Kill exclaimed feeling so happy he could cheer being able to talk to her for the first time in 3 days, when she could actually respond.

Loraviel smiled widely looking just as happy to see the dwarves "It will take much more than an arrow to get rid of me" she declared, even though she still felt dizzy and wasn't even sure how she had managed to stay standing for so long.

Fili of course could see she was putting on a brave face, "come on we need to get you back to the fire, you feel cold". Fili suggested supporting her with an arm wrapped tightly around her waist.

Loraviel was about to refuse when Kili raised his finger to her lips. "We won't here it, you are staying whether you want to or nor" he ordered.

"I don't exactly get the impression that Thorin wants me here" she replied unwilling to be lead back to the group.

Kili supported her other side. "Well if that was the case he wouldn't have told Fili you were now apart of this company" he argued, pushing her forwards.

Loraviel no longer refused but just went with the boys wondering what they had said that allowed her to stay.


End file.
